Is the media overreacting to Trump midterm losses?
(NewsNation) — The media appears to be writing another obituary for the political career of former President Donald Trump following an unexpectedly poor showing by the Republican Party in this year’s midterm elections.
But Mediaite’s Colby Hall says this is something we’ve seen from the media before when it comes to Trump, a man he likened to “Rasputin” in his ability to remain unharmed, in Trump’s case, by media coverage.
“We’ve been hearing for five years that the walls are closing in on Trump and finally ‘this is going to be the end of his political career,’ I think the media is sort of doing him a favor right now by setting very low expectations and relishing the fact that he didn’t have as good of a day on the midterms as he was expecting,” Hall said.
On MSNBC Tuesday night, anchor Joe Scarborough said “everything Trump touches politically dies,” when giving analysis on midterm results. Meghan McCain, daughter of longtime Republican politician John McCain, wrote an op-ed in the Daily Mail in which she said Tuesday night’s midterm results should be the “final nail” in the coffin of Trump’s political career.
Hall says however, these types of stories have emerged about Trump frequently and do little to impact his political standing. Particularly after events like the Jan. 6 capitol insurrection, both his impeachments, the Access Hollywood tape, etc. the media predicts the end of Trump’s political career to no avail.
The media just cannot seem to break up with Donald Trump because he brings in such high ratings, Hall said.
“Trump is less a politician and more of a self-promoter sort of media personality and I think he sort of has broken the mold for others,” Hall said. “I think Kari Lake is really more of that mold, for example, as a media personality, unless someone who is really fluid in policy.
“Media loves to promote him because he is good for business, perhaps evidenced by the fact we’re talking about him right now,” Hall added.